Lauren Cohanhas gone on quite a creative journey over the last few years. Perhaps best known for her role as Maggie Rhee in AMC’sThe Walking Dead, that was solidified when her character received a spin-off following the original’s 11-season run. When she teamed up with fellowThe Walking Deadalumni,Jeffrey Dean Morgan, for what would becomeThe Walking Dead: Dead City, Cohan ensured that both she and her co-star secured roles as executive producers to ensure their voices would be heard throughout the creative process. And now, through the second season, Cohan will pass another creative milestone when shecelebrates her directorial debut in the sixth episode.
Recently speaking withPerri Nemirofffor an installment ofCollider’s Ladies Night, Cohan was thrilled to chat about her experience behind the camera and all the ups and downs that went with it. Luckily for her, Cohan ended up behind the lens for Episode 6, which she said was her “favorite episode in reading this season.” But she didn’t get to pick which installment she wanted to lead; instead, the universe worked it out for her. She explained:
“The way we worked out the schedule, it was like we knew we were gonna have three directing spots. It was maybe actually even going to be two directing spots, andMike Satrazemisdid the first two, he’s our producing director. We were going to have someone come in for the middle, and then Mike was going to do the end. So, when I asked to direct this season, we had to work it out in a way where, because we block shot, I had to share a block with somebody who was there the whole time, which was Michael. So, he did the last three so that I could have one of those. It saved us a lot of money to shoot this way because we get everything done in one location, which we shot massively out of order this year. So, the fact that I got Episode 6 was because the production logistics were right.”
As audiences will see, there are a lot ofjaw-dropping momentsto come fromthe second season ofDead City, many of which happen in the sixth episode. Thrilled about how things shook out to allow her to direct the emotional and action-packed installment, Cohan added:
“I was so lucky because this was my favorite episode. But would I maybe have gotten that episode as a first-time director when it has the bear in it? When it’s a huge episode? I don’t know. But the fact that it delivers on emotional, logistical, action, technical, VFX. There’s so many aspects in the episode. I was so moved.”
Even though the odds were in her favor and she ended up helming her favorite episode of the season, Cohan was prepared to go into whatever installment she landed with the same positive attitude. Understanding thattelevision is about connecting with the audience, she said:
“My greatest responsibility — whatever episode I would have had, I would have felt this — was just, ‘What do I love about it? How do I take that spark and just put it over there and don’t interrupt that feeling?” It was just like, “How do I just gently hand it to the viewer?’ It was such a hard experience.”
Episode 6 ofThe Walking Dead: Dead City’s second season is out now. Check out Cohan’s full episode ofCollider Ladies Nightbelow.
The Walking Dead: Dead City
